Philosophy+and+Rules

=Philosophy and Rules=

[ Classroom Philosophy ]
The way I teach and run my classroom is based on three key ideas that I firmly believe in:
 * **We are all scholars.** Each member of the classroom community is capable of making original, meaningful, insightful contributions in class. We all have valuable things both to teach and to learn, and we arrive in our classroom community mentally and physically prepared to do so. We engage in this scholarly learning process through open, respectful discussion.
 * **We are all different.** Each member of the classroom community has unique perspectives, experiences, and areas of expertise with which they can enrich our discussions. We respect this diversity for the wealth of knowledge it can bring to our learning.
 * **We all make mistakes.** No one member of the classroom community -- teacher or student -- is perfect. We recognize not only that we all make mistakes, but that we must do so in order to learn. We value mistakes for the progress they allow us to make in learning, and establish our community as a safe place in which to make this kind of progress.

[ Classroom Rules ]
Based on the above philosophy, I derive my two primary classroom rules: The more specific classroom rules, which follow from basic respect and responsibility, are as follows:
 * **Be responsible.**
 * **Be respectful.**
 * No inappropriate language (profanity, hate speech, etc).
 * No cell phones or other electronics.
 * No edibles of any kind (food, drinks other than clear water, gum, mints, etc).
 * No makeup or other cosmetics (lotion, lip gloss, etc).
 * One speaker at a time.
 * Follow all school policies and the Golden Rule at all times.

[ Consequences ]
A student not in compliance with the classroom rules will be given a warning. If that student continues to violate the classroom rules, the following consequences take effect: The following actions are grounds for immediate referral:
 * First offense:
 * Student will leave room for private discussion with teacher and/or go to Chill Out;
 * Parents will be contacted.
 * Second and subsequent offenses:
 * Student will receive disciplinary referral and be sent to Chill Out;
 * Parents will be contacted.
 * Profanity or hate speech
 * Threats or violence of any kind
 * Blatant disrespect
 * Insubordination